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White Scars
The White Scars are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter and one of the First Founding Legions of the Adeptus Astartes. Known and feared throughout the Imperium of Man for their highly mobile way of war, the White Scars are considered the masters of the lightning strike and hit-and-run attack and are particularly adapted to the use of the Astartes Assault Bike as their mechanical steeds and their forces contain an unusually large number of Bike Squads compared to other Chapters. Bearing the ritual scars of bravery, these fierce warriors fight with all the tribal savagery that define the fierce steppe nomads of their homeworld Mundus Planus, bringing swift death to all of the enemies of the Imperium. Chapter History Jaghatai Khan Scattered across the galaxy through the Warp from the Emperor of Mankind's secret gene-laboratory beneath the Himalazian (Himalayan) Mountains of Terra along with the 20 other Primarchs by the machinations of the Ruinous Powers of Chaos, the gestation capsule of the special child later known as Jaghatai Khan was deposited on the vast steppe-lands of the fertile Feudal World of Mundus Planus. The inhabitants of Mundus Planus, who knew the world as Chogoris rather than by its official High Gothic name, had managed to struggle back from the terrible destruction of the Age of Strife to a pre-industrial level of technology. The dominant Planan culture was technologically analogous to that of the Renaissance period of the 2nd Millennium in ancient Terran history by the time of the Great Crusade in the early 31st Millennium, having just rediscovered how to incorporate gunpowder into its weapon systems. Most of Mundus Planus was under the rule of an organized feudal aristocracy, led by a monarch known as the Palatine. Jaghatai was discovered just after his arrival on the world as a small child by Ong Khan, the chieftain of a small Planan nomadic tribe called the Talskars, who adopted the extraordinarily beautiful infant into his family, foreseeing that he would one day become a great warrior unlike any other the steppe-lands had ever known. Jaghatai’s adoptive family was later killed by another of the tribes inhabiting the Planan steppes, the Kurayed. Already the greatest warrior in the Talskar tribe, despite his young age, Jaghatai led many Talskar warriors in vengeance against the Kurayed. He razed the enemy village to the ground, killing every inhabitant, and took the Kurayed chieftain’s head to mount above his own tent. Following this victory, Jaghatai was elected as the Khan of the Talskars, in the process swearing to unite the tribes of the steppes and bring an end to the internecine tribal warfare that dominated their lives. Each tribe Jaghatai and his warriors defeated was integrated into the Talskar tribe. Jaghatai utilized his military talents and the sheer force of his superhumanly charismatic personality to win himself many followers. He made military service with his army mandatory among the Planan steppe tribes, and combined warriors of various tribes into mixed units, to break up previous associations and to create a common loyalty among them based in the foundation of their allegiance to him. Jaghatai's abilities enabled him to weld together a coalition of the steppe tribes to battle a Chaos Cult whose foul power was spreading throughout the main continent of Mundus Planus. In the final battle, he led 10,000 steppe warriors on horseback in a gallant charge against the cultists and their crude black powder cannons. Despite horrendous losses, the Planan tribes' charge smashed the enemy. The tribesmen pursued the cultists, butchering every one of them as they tried to flee. Jaghatai and his warriors went on to conquer most of the continent. Ten years later, after having united the tribes of the steppe region known as the "Empty Quarter", Jaghatai was caught in an avalanche. He was discovered by the son of the Khagan, the ruling Emperor of the Planan nobility, a khan of khans (later known in Imperial historical archives as the Palatine), who like many Planan nobles had taken to the sport of capturing an Empty Quarter tribesman and hunting him through the mountains. The exact course of events is unknown, but it was said that a single man of the hunting party returned, bearing the head of the Khagan’s son along with a message for that ruler. "The people of the steppes are yours no longer." The enraged Khagan gathered his army and marched west, to engage the wild horse tribes of the Empty Quarter in combat, but was soundly defeated in a battle that lasted a day and a night. Heavily armoured in mail and plate armour, and accustomed to engaging in decisive melee combat with other heavy cavalry and heavy infantry forces supported by light infantry arquebusiers, the Khagan’s pike-and-shot army was no match for the light cavalry and relentless bowfire of Jaghatai’s forces. The Khagan barely escaped capture, but was eventually killed as Jaghatai’s army flowed into the lands once held by the Planan aristocracy, either conquering or destroying everything in their path. Jaghatai’s power now encompassed the planet’s lone continent, a global empire forged across the breadth of Mundus Planus in less than twenty standard years. Coming of the Emperor Jaghatai’s campaign ended less than six months before the Emperor of Mankind came to Mundus Planus as part of his Great Crusade. Recognizing the Emperor as a man who embodied his own ideal of unity for all Mankind, though on a far broader stage than he had even imagined, the Primarch swore fealty and bent the knee to his father. In return, he was given command of the V Space Marine Legion that had been created from his genome on Terra. The V Legion was quick to adopt the long honour scars of the Talskar tribesmen as a new Legion custom, and renamed themselves the White Scars after transferring their fortress-monastery to Mundus Planus. Many of Jaghatai’s army chose to follow their leader, becoming the first generation of White Scar Astartes recruited from their new Legion homeworld of Mundus Planus rather than Terra. Great Crusade The lightning fast style of mobile warfare that had served Jaghatai Khan so well on the steppes of his homeworld proved to be equally effective on the many different battlefields of the Great Crusade; the White Scars became involved in some of the bloodiest battles of the time. Khan and Leman Russ, the Primarch of the Space Wolves Legion, were said to be the closest of brothers and friends, largely due to the similarity of their respective home cultures and societal values, as well as the cultures of their Legions. When these two Primarchs and their Legions joined forces they proved unstoppable in spreading the Imperial Truth across the galaxy. Horus Heresy Jaghatai Khan during the Great Crusade at the Triumph of Ullanor]] The Legion's legend grew with the events of the Horus Heresy, when the White Scars fought on hundreds of worlds for over 7 standard years against the Traitor Legions and the other Forces of Chaos. Unlike many of the other Primarchs, Jaghatai never even considered betraying the Emperor for the service of the Ruinous Powers. Such a course would have been dishonourable in the extreme since the Emperor had done no wrong to his sons and also because Jaghatai so deeply believed in the Emperor's goal of reunifying the entire human race under a single ruler so that it might claim final dominance over the Milky Way Galaxy. The White Scars Legion had already been engaged for several standard years in a punishing campaign against the Orks of the Chondax System when the news of Horus' betrayal of the Imperium and the actions of the Traitor Legions at Istvaan III and the Drop Site Massacre of Istvaan V reached the White Scars' Expeditionary Fleet. They were urged in an astropathic message by the Imperial Fists Legion's Primarch Rogal Dorn to return to Terra to help defend the homeworld of humanity from the Traitors as soon as possible. Jaghatai was next contacted by the Space Wolves' Leman Russ who had just returned from the Burning of Prospero and the assault against the Space Wolves old rivals the Thousand Sons Legion and offered to join his Space Wolves with the White Scars so that they could face the Forces of Chaos in a united front. But Horus had anticipated this move by the two close brother Primarchs and the Warmaster deployed the Alpha Legion to launch a massive assault on Russ' outnumbered Space Wolves. The Alpha Legion and its twin Primarchs, Alpharius Omegon, had long harboured deep grudges against the Space Wolves and Russ in particular for his criticism of their reliance upon trickery, manipulation and subterfuge to win battles rather than engaging in what the Space Wolves Primarch saw as honourable, open combat. The Alpha Legion relished the chance to prove their superiority against the arrogant Wolves of Fenris by delaying them long enough to keep them from contributing to the defence of Terra. Although he despised leaving the Space Wolves to face the Alpha Legion Traitor Marines on their own, Jaghatai Khan felt it was more important to honour Dorn's urgent request to retreat to Terra immediately rather than first engaging in a costly (and diversionary) battle against the Alpha Legion. ]] It is known that much of the White Scars Legion, including its Primarch, was present to defend the siege of the Imperial Palace during the climatic Battle of Terra alongside the Blood Angels and Imperial Fists Legions. It was said that Jaghatai and his men fought many of the Chaos Space Marines that tried to retreat to Terra's spaceports and flee, following the death of the Warmaster Horus at the hands of the Emperor aboard his Battle Barge Vengeful Spirit in orbit of Mankind's homeworld. The White Scars launched several highly-successful hit-and-run assaults against the Traitor forces and together with remnants of the Imperial Army's 1st Terran Tank Division and several infantry regiments they successfully harassed the enemy supply lines as the Chaotic armies fled to the Lions Gate Spaceport to get off-world and flee Imperial vengeance. Disappearance of Jaghatai Khan Seven years after the end of the Horus Heresy during the period called the Reformation when the Imperium was largely guided by the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman, the White Scars adopted Guilliman's Codex Astartes and the Legion allowed itself to be grudgingly divided into several different Successor Chapters. In order to contain the outlaws, renegades and aliens that dwelled within the Maelstrom and had taken advantage of the disruptions caused by the Heresy to run amok in the Ultima Segmentum, Roboute Guilliman ordered the surrounding star systems to be reinforced. The White Scars were tasked with the main responsibility of securing the area from their homeworld. According to the writings of the Great Khan of Quan Zhou, the White Scars learned upon their return to Mundus Planus following the end of the Heresy that their homeworld and its people had been the target of numerous raids by the Dark Eldar to seize thousands of Planans as slaves. Jaghatai swore many oaths against the Dark Eldar because of this crime and fought them in many battles until peace had largely been restored among the Imperial worlds that were adjacent to the Maelstrom. Jaghatai fought alongside his sons of the White Scars for another 70 standard years following the end of the Horus Heresy, eventually disappearing in 084.M31 when he traveled into a region of space known as the Maelstrom, a large Warp rift in the Ultima Segmentum that is a somewhat smaller counterpart of the Eye of Terror. Jaghatai is believed to have been in pursuit of the Dark Eldar who had savaged Mundus Planus following the Battle of Corusil V with his 1st Brotherhood when he went through a Warp Gate into the Dark Eldar portion of the Webway, ultimately vanishing forever. Jaghatai had been in pursuit of a mighty Dark Eldar lord, likely the Archon of the Kabal that had attacked Corusil V and perhaps even Mundus Planus itself. None can say what befell the Primarch -- if he was lost in the Warp or if he was slain or captured at the hands of an alien warlord -- but the White Scars believe he still hunts across the galaxy, and beyond, in pursuit of his greatest foes. The White Scars believe he is still alive somewhere within the Webway and will one day return to the Chapter in a time of great need. As a result of their Primarch's disappearance, the White Scars hold a particularly savage grudge against the Dark Eldar and will gladly seek out any opportunity to make war upon those savage and terrifying xenos. The White Scars thus continue to fight in Jaghatai's name, destroying the enemies of the Emperor in preparation for the day when the Great Khan completes his consummate hunt and returns to once again lead his chosen warriors and begin the next Great Crusade to unify the galaxy. Notable Campaigns *'X173 Plural Xenocide (Unknown Date.M30)' - This was an Imperial Compliance campaign of the Great Crusade that was carried out jointly between the White Scars Legion and the 40th Expeditionary Fleet's Imperial Army component made up of the genetically-enhanced soldiers of the G9K Division Kill upon the world designated X173 Plural. This campaign against unknown xenos was fought over a period of six months, in which the troops of the G9K came to admire the focus, dedication and mercilessness of the White Scars. *'Tyrade System Compliance (Unknown Date.M31)' - A White Scars detachment served alongside the Luna Wolves Legion during the Imperial Compliance action in the Tyrade System. This action occurred seven years before the Battle of Istvaan III and the start of the Horus Heresy. *'Battle of Terra' (Unknown Date.M31) - The White Scars were one of only three Loyalist Space Marine Legions present at the Battle of Terra during the defence of the Emperor’s Imperial Palace, alongside the Blood Angels and the Imperial Fists. Before the final defence of the Imperial Palace began, the White Scars launched a counterattack to break through the encircling siege of the Traitor Legions of Horus. As part of this counteroffensive, the White Scars undertook a daring lightning raid to seize the Lionsgate Spaceport from the enemy's hands. This enabled the Loyalists defending the Palace to receive fresh troops and supplies from orbit and boosted the morale of the Palace's defenders. A similar Loyalist assault on the second major starport near the Palace failed, largely due to the lack of the White Scars' expertise in mobile warfare. However, the White Scars did not participate in the Emperor of Mankind's final teleport assault upon Horus’ flagship, the Battle Barge ''Vengeful Spirit''. *'Disappearance of Jaghatai Khan (''c. 084.M31)' - The White Scars' Primarch Jaghatai Khan disappears whilst fighting several Kabals of the Dark Eldar on the world of Corusil V, near the Warp Rift called the Maelstrom. Presumably he pursued a Dark Eldar lord through an alien portal that led into a portion of the Eldar Webway occupied by the Dark Eldar, perhaps even reaching their Dark City of Commorragh itself. *'Fires of Phaistos (533.M39)' - This was a notable campaign in which the Salamanders defended the important Cardinal World of Phaistos Osiris, located in the northern Segmentum Ultima near the Warp vortex known as the Storm of the Emperor's Wrath, from the predations of the massive Ork WAAAGH! of the Snakebites klan's Warlord "Rukrippa." When Rukrippa's trio of gigantic Deff-Hulks battered their way into the Osiris System after despoiling a score of scattered outposts and colony worlds, they found the full strength of the Salamanders Chapter waiting for them at the head of an army of disciplined troops raised from the students of the Imperia Schola and hundreds of thousands of volunteer pilgrim-militia whipped into a frenzy by the exhortations of the Basilica's local clergy. Even so, the defenders of Osiris faced terrifying odds as Orks in their millions, backed by savage Squiggoth war-herds, descended in makeshift landing craft and "Krash Kapsuls" from the Deff-Hulks in orbit onto the planet's soil. Leading the resistance, the Salamanders Chapter devised a complex and subtle defence in depth which denied the planet's resources to the enemy. Through the valiant defence by the Salamanders, the defenders of Osiris utterly decimated WAAAGH! Rukrippa, and their exploits entered the annals of Imperial history. *'The Damocles Crusade (742.M41)' - The White Scars are assigned to service with the Damocles Gulf Crusade, leading the ground assault against the Tau on the world of Dal'yth, engaging their alien foes in a devastating series of lightning assaults. *'Purge of the Moons of Ymgarl (754-756.M41)' - The Ymgarl Genestealers are a variant of Tyranid Genestealers who were first encountered on the moons of Ymgarl circa 500.M41, about 200 standard years before the Milky Way Galaxy was invaded by the Tyranid Hive Fleet Behemoth. They were the first Genestealers encountered by the forces of the Imperium of Man and were initially thought to be a new species of previously unknown intelligent xenos. It was later discovered that they were just one variant of the standard Genestealers deployed as a servant bioform of the Tyranid Hive Fleets. By the edict of the High Lords of Terra, actions against suspected Genestealer infection were stepped up to the highest possible effort of the Imperial armed forces. As part of this xenocidal campaign, the Salamanders were given the onerous duty of purging the Genestealers for all time from the moons of Ymgarl. Over the next two years the Salamanders, with the aid of the Magos Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus, fought a grueling xenocidal campaign to permanently eradicate this menace to the galaxy. Through bloody and terrible struggle, the Magos Biologis eventually pronounced the ancient threat of Ymgarl ended, although its dark legacy would live on in the shadows of chill ship holds, dark hulks and doomed worlds uncounted. *'Sabbat Worlds Crusades''' (35th Millennium) and (754-775.M41) - The White Scars fought in both Imperial Crusades unleashed in the Sabbat Worlds Sector, first at the side of Saint Sabbat who led the Crusade that brought the sector into the Imperium of Man in the 35th Millennium, and later with the forces of the Imperial Warmasters Slaydo and Macaroth to retake the Sabbat Worlds from control by the Forces of Chaos. The White Scars also fought alongside four fellow Astartes Chapters that included the: Iron Snakes, the Raven Guard, and the Silver Guard. The White Scars were present on many of the battlefields of both Sabbat Worlds Crusades. During the first Crusade when they fought alongside Saint Sabbat, an honour guard of 8 White Scars Space Marines were the ones who carried Saint Sabbat’s fallen body back to her homeworld and her final resting place. The Shrine of Saint Sabbat contains 8 ritual niches each filled with a life sized holographic projection of a White Scars Astartes in memory of the Chapter's service. Around the year 600.M41, the Sabbat Worlds Sector began to suffer once more from such large, sustained incursions of Chaotic forces that by the year 740.M41 the situation had become untenable,with the entire sector essentially having been lost to Imperial rule. The Imperium could not suffer the existence of such a large expanse of openly Chaotic space existing within its territory, acting as a staging ground from which to spread Chaotic corruption to the surrounding Imperial sectors. As such, the Administratum ordered the start of the second Sabbat Worlds Crusade to retake the sector for the Emperor. Overall operational command was given to Warmaster Slaydo who was charged with the liberation of the Sabbat Worlds. Slaydo developed an intense passion for the cause of Saint Sabbat, the original liberator of the Sabbat Worlds. He personally believed it to be a crime against the Imperium that her hard-won territories could be so callously discarded and left in the blasphemous hands of the servants of the Ruinous Powers. *'Lycanthos Drift Campaign (780.M41)' - In the aftermath of the long-running and infamous Fourth Quadrant Rebellion, the White Scars answered a general call to arms among the Astartes of the region and despatched a powerful force in 780.M41, to undertake the Lycanthos Drift Campaign against one of the last major stronghold systems of the revolt located to the galactic south of the Maelstrom Zone. Astral Claws Chapter Master Lufgt Huron was elected battle leader of a number of Astartes contingents by common consent, comprising companies from the Astral Claws, Fire Hawks, Celestial Guard and White Scars Chapters, backed by the Death Korps of Krieg and Cal-Sec Imperial Guard regiments and the Titans of Legio Venator. The Fire Hawks' Chapter Master Stibor Lazaerek was noticeably bitter that he was not given command of the campaign, and is known to have born a grudge against the Astral Claws from this time forward. Under Huron's inspired command, the taskforce ruthlessly purged the heavily fortified star system of Traitor and Chaos forces in under a year, cementing his reputation as a masterful strategist amongst Space Marine commanders. *'Escape from Cano'var (813.M41)' - At Nemesor Zahndrekh's instruction, the Necron armies of the Tomb World of Gidrim invade the Tau world of Cano'var, routing the planetary defenders after two standard weeks of campaigning. The Necron victory is short-lived however. A demi-company of White Scars, led by Kor'sarro Khan, arrive on Cano'var, pursuing a now-obsolete punitive mission against the previous Tau inhabitants. As overwhelming volley of Gauss fire destroys the White Scars' Thunderhawks moments after they land, leaving Khan and his Battle-Brothers to fight a bold, but doomed, series of hit-and-run battles. Almost all of the White Scars are slain on Uzme Plateau, but Zahndrekh commands that Kor'sarro Khan be spared and imprisoned. So does Khan begin a peculiar period of captivity beneath the surface of Cano'var. Zahndrekh treats him with honour, through few of the other Necron Lords even acknowledge his presence. At a bizarre feast, where food is placed before Zahndrekh and his court but goes uneaten, Khan learns he us but one of a dozen prisoners. With the desire for freedom outweighing any ranklement or rivalry, Khan and the other captives conspire to escape. The Necrons are slow to react and so the breakout goes well at first. Only when Vargard Obyron takes command do things go badly for the escapees. Several of the fugitives are slain by Obyron's Warscythe, leaving only Kor'sarro and an Eldar Ranger by the name of Illic Nightspear to fight on, and the latter swiftly receives a blow that sends him sprawling from the fight. Thus does the battle devolve into a duel atop bleeding bodies and broken machines. Khan's sword is quicker and guided by a desperate fury, but Obyron's undying machine body repairs any damage within only moments. Little by little, Khan tires, and the sweeping Warscythe comes closer to connecting with each swing. Finally, one of the Vargard's blows is too swift for Khan to evade -- the Warscythe slices through his armour and deep into his flesh. Before Obyron can finish his foe, there is an intervention from an unexpected source. Unknown to either combatants, Zahndrekh has been watching the fight from afar and, impressed by Khan's skill and bravery, orders Obyron to stand aside and let him leave. Dragging the crippled Nightspear behind, Khan finally escapes to surface, finds a still-functioning Tau spacecraft and leaves Cano'var far behind. Khan and Nightspear part ways shortly after, the Eldar to his Craftworld and the White Scar to Chogoris. Shortly after Khan's return to his Chapter planet, Nemesor Zahndrekh and Vargard Obyron are added to the Scrolls of Venegance, their names to be put forward as possible quarry for the next Great Hunt of the White Scars Chapter. *'The Diata Purge (858.M41)' - Great Khan (Chapter Master) Kyublai Khan leads the combined might of the White Scars and the Marauders Chapters against a fell host of Chaos Space Marine Renegades. *'Assault on Zoran (859.M41)' - The forces of the insidious Alpha Legion incited an uprising against the Imperium on the Ice World of Zoran. The Blood Angels' Captain Metraen lead elements from that Chapter's 3rd and 8th Companies to that frigid planet to eliminate the rebellion and drive the Traitor Legion from the world. Metraen's bold tactical choice at first seems to drive the enemy back but the assault stalls when the Alpha Legion's base of operations on the world was determined to be an ancient and long-lost ''Imperator-''class Battle Titan left from the days of the Horus Heresy. Though still half-buried in the ice of Zoran, the monstrous war engine's Void Shield generators and weapons batteries prove to be operational with devastating consequences for the servants of the Emperor. Many Blood Angels Astartes fall in the first assault against the Titan and Captain Metraen fears that the only course open to him to end the threat is an outright Exterminatus order against Zoran and its people. Fortunately for the innocents of that Ice World, aid arrives in the form of Kor'sarro Khan and the 3rd Brotherhood of the White Scars Chapter. Sent to claim the head of the Alpha Legion's infamous Daemon Prince Voldorius, the Khan joins his forces to the remains of the Blood Angels Astartes on the planet. As the White Scars launch their own attack on the Alpha Legion's bastion from below, the Blood Angels use their Stormravens to initiate a series of drop assaults against the secondary plasma reactors that powered the Titan's weapons. Metraen's Astartes neutralise the Titan's defences and the White Scars swarm into the massive war machine's lower levels. Though Voldorius ultimately escapes once more, his followers are exterminated to the last Chaos Cultist and Alpha Legionary. Though Kor'sarro Khan is obliged to continue his hunt for the Daemon Prince, Zoran has been restored to the Emperor's light and the recovery of a battered but fully repairable Imperator Titan is no mean feat. Metraen eventually brings the Titan back to Baal, from which it is sent on to Mars, where Lord Commander Dante hopes that such a priceless gift might finally smooth over the conflicts between the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Blood Angels. *'Hunt for Voldorius (855.M41-865.M41)' - The Hunt for Voldorius was the search by Kor'sarro Khan, Captain of the 3rd Brotherhood of the White Scars, for the Daemon Prince Kernax Voldorius, the warleader of a particularly insidious Alpha Legion Chaos Space Marines warband. In 865.M41 Kor'sarro Khan drove Voldorius from his foremost stronghold on the Hive World of Modanna. By 871.M41, Kor'sarro Khan tracked Kernax Voldorius to the planet Quintus. The White Scars discovered no mere warband, but a whole planet of Traitors and Renegades ready to stand against them, but Kor'sarro was not deterred. Upon making planetfall, Kor'sarro Khan found unexpected allies in the form of Shadow Captain Kayvaan Shrike and the Raven Guard 3rd Company. Despite the millennia-old rivalry that exists between their two Chapters, the White Scars and Raven Guard put aside their differences and joined forces to defeat Voldorius' armies; Shrike and Kor'sarro slew the Daemon Prince in the streets of the planetary-capital of Mankarra. With the defeat of the Chaos forces and Voldorius dead by his hands, Kor'sarro Khan announced his sixteenth Great Hunt to be at an end. Claiming Voldorius' head as a gloried prize, Kor'sarro Khan left Quintus and returned to a hero's welcome at the White Scars' fortress-monastery on Chogoris (a world officially known to the Administratum as Mundus Planus) where it was set on a pike on the road to the White Scars' fortress, so that all might know that no foe of the Chapter ever truly escapes the Emperor's justice. *'Battle for Grase Mesa (869.M41)' - The Eldar Windrider Host of Yme-Loc Craftworld is all but annihilated at Grase Mesa when White Scars Bike and Land Speeder squadrons encircle their xenos foe and launch a devastating enfilade on their flanks. *'The Blackfist Scalping (882.M41)' - The White Scars join forces with two of their Successor Chapters – the Storm Lords and Solar Hawks – to combat WAAAGH! Blackfist on the Agri-World of Lycelle. Competition between the three Chapters is fierce, with each trying to outdo the battlefield deeds of the others in the name of Jaghatai Khan. *'Quan Zhou's Wrath (890.M41)' - A Necron ''Cairn''-class Tombship enters orbit over Chogoris and begins the focussed bombardment of an unpopulated area on the planet's surface. The Battle Barge Jaghatai's Pride pierces the ship's shields even as the White Scars' fortress-monastery fires its massive Defence Laser, the Khan's Fury, destroying the Tombship in a single Lance strike. *'Battle for Fyre (898.M41)' - Great Khan Kyublai joins forces with six other Space Marine Chapters to purge the Daemon World of Fyre of the daemonic legions of Mal'laf'mak the Bloodbringer. The daemon warlord is banished when Kyublai leads a bold Drop Pod assault against Gorespire and Mal'laf'mak is caught between Kyublai's Honour Guard and the Chapter's Sternguard Veterans in a merciless cross-fire. The White Scars take heavy casualties escaping Gorespire before it, and all within, are dragged back into the Warp. *'The Badab War (906-913.M41)' - As a result of a conflicting nexus of honour, treachery, politics and greed, several Space Marine Chapters of the Badab System under the command of the Lufgt Huron, Chapter Master of the Astral Claws Chapter, turned Renegade against the Imperium and bloodshed and outright civil war ensued -- a war which turned entire armies of the Imperium's most powerful warriors against each other and in doing so swept millions to their deaths in its turbulence. A major deployment of Space Marine forces was brought into the war at the Legate's request to enforce their authority. The Red Scorpions Chapter form the greatest part of the Loyalist Space Marine force, backed by battle companies drawn from the Salamanders' 2nd Company, under the command of Captain Pellas Mir'san, as well as the Raptors, Fire Angels and the surviving Fire Hawks and Marines Errant Chapters. The Salamanders force, although relatively few in number in comparison to some other Loyalist elements was heavily engaged throughout the conflict until its end, both in void battles and open warfare, playing key roles in several of the most important events of the Badab War, such as the Angstrom Incident, the invasion of Shaprias and the sundering of the Executioners Chapter from the Secessionist cause, following the events of the infamous "Red Hour," and the final siege of Badab Primaris itself. *'Battle for Cardrim (926.M41)' - Whilst combating the Ork WAAAGH! Skullkrumpa on the world of Cardrim, Joghaten Khan and the White Scars' 4th Brotherhood awaken the Necron forces of Overlord Tarekh. Isolated from reinforcements, the White Scars prosecute a gruelling hit-and-run campaign lasting several standard years. Their lightning raids hamstring much of the enemy's forces, and the last xenos are finally slain during the attack for Fellstorm Airfield. *'The Bloodswarm Crusade (936.M41)' - The Bloodswarm Crusade is brought to a successful conclusion by the White Scars and Iron Hawks Chapters. *'A Lost Hero (943.M41)' - The Kabal of the Bloodied Talon prey upon the people of Chogoris. Great Khan Kyublai Khan immediately sets off after the attackers, but mysteriously vanishes soon after and is presumed slain by the Dark Eldar. Jubal Khan is appointed as Great Khan of the White Scars following a lengthy ritual and immediately declares a Great Hunt to avenge his predecessor. In 945.M41, Kor'sarro Khan returns to Chogoris not only with the head of Archon Kirareq of the Kabal of the Bloodied Talon, but also those of one thousand of his Dark Eldar warriors. *'The Bloodskar Hunt (964.M41)' - The White Scars' 5th Brotherhood reinforces the Imperial Guard's Cadian Shock Troops regiments in their ongoing struggle against the Ork WAAAGH! Bloodskar in the Lonnas System. during the Third War for Armageddon]] *'Third War for Armageddon' (998.M41) - During the Third War for Armageddon against the largest Ork WAAAGH! seen since the Great Crusade, the White Scars deployed several Brotherhoods into the freezing wastes of the Hive World of Armageddon known as the Deadlands. Their highly mobile style of warfare proved perfect for lightning fast responses to attacks launched by the Ork Speed Kults in that region. The Battle of Dante's Canyon, an action fought in the opening days of the war, displayed to excellent effect the power and style of combat favoured by the White Scars. The White Lightning Speed Kult, having learnt from its previous debacle, attacked again, this time using "kustomised" Warbikes and Wartrakks on skis. However, the Astartes defenders were ready for the Greenskins. The White Scars Tulwar Brotherhood, led by Suboden Khan, launched a counterattack on the Orks. Lightly armoured Bike Squadrons and Attack Bikes surged from a local drilling station being used as a forward command post and met the Orks halfway. A swirling, mounted melee of speeding vehicles skidding around the ice raged for many hours into the night. The following morning Ork Stormboyz dropped from the cliffs above the drilling station, only to be met by the determined and disciplined fire of White Scar Tactical Squads. Charges laid on the ice during the night were detonated, plunging yet more Orks under the frigid surface. At the same time, Orks attempting to cut the cables securing the drilling station to the canyon walls were attacked in the rear by Assault Squads led by Suboden Khan. The leader of this group of Orks was beheaded by Suboden and his broken body thrown from the cliffs. The remaining Orks were driven over the cliffs and their bodies swept below the freezing waters of the Tempest Ocean. *'13th Black Crusade (999.M41)' - During the 13th Black Crusade the first of the White Scars Brotherhoods to reach the Cadian Gate was the Brotherhood of Khajog Khan, a hero of Armageddon and many other campaigns. Khajog set about launching a series of devastatingly successful hit-and-run attacks across the bleak moors of Cadia. The attacks were so successful that the White Scars soon became a significant threat to Abaddon the Despoiler’s plans and the sieges of Kasr Myrak, Soliq and Rantik were lifted as the Chaotic forces of the Great Despoiler redeployed to hunt down the elusive White Scars. Khajog’s Brotherhood proved literally too effective, as their actions earned the direct attention of Abaddon, who ordered the Brotherhood immediately hunted down and exterminated by a full force deployment of the Chaos Space Marines under his command. Dispatching no less than the elite 1st Company of the Black Legion along with massive hordes of Chaos Cultists and slaves, Abaddon began the hunt through the bleak moors. Unknown to Khajog, Abaddon’s chief Chaos Sorcerer Zaraphiston located the White Scars through his divinations, and Khajog’s forces were ambushed as they attempted to assault a slave train west of Lake Terror. The first 4 White Scars Bike Squads that hit the slave train found themselves charging directly into the guns of Abaddon’s Chosen. Realising that they were beaten, the White Scars continued their charge nonetheless, selling their lives as dearly as possible to give their brethren in the rest of the White Scars force time to break away. Reluctantly, Khajog retreated with the rest of his Brotherhood to regroup, swearing to return and wreak vengeance on Abaddon’s forces. However, that was not to be. Khajog did not get an opportunity to return in the manner of his choosing, for every exit was blocked by the uncountable hordes of the Chaotic forces. Instead of trying to retreat further, Khajog determined to make his last stand at the base of a Cadian Pylon on the shores of the Caducades Sea. The White Scars crashed into the innumerable ranks of the Traitor forces, dragged from their Assault Bikes one by one until at last only Khajog remained. Khajog Khan was the last of the White Scars to fall that day, finally dragged down by the sheer weight of numbers arrayed against him. The Stormseers of the Chapter say that to this day, Khajog’s spirit still roams the bleak moors of Cadia, unwilling to return until vengeance is meted out to those who slew him. *'The Maelstrom Threat (999.M41)' - Huron Blackheart's assembled Chaos fleet emerges from the Maelstrom and swiftly brings several systems, including Chogoris, under siege. The White Scars withdraw from their operations on Armageddon to meet this dire threat to their homeworld. Chapter Organisation The predominant unit of social organisation among the nomadic people of the steppes of Mundus Planus is the tribe, a fact reflected in the organisation of the White Scars Chapter. Once a young warrior is selected from the feuding tribes of the steppes, loyalty to his tribe is replaced by loyalty to the Chapter and the Emperor of Mankind. As their Primarch did during his campaign to unite the steppes, recruits from different tribes are mixed together in the White Scars' squads. Each squad of White Scars Astartes becomes part of a Brotherhood, a type of unit that is roughly equivalent to a standard, 100-Astartes Space Marines company. Each Brotherhood is led by an officer known as a Khan, who is essentially the White Scars' version of a standard Space Marine company captain The Chapter maintains a different order of battle than most ''Codex Astartes''-compliant Chapters, due to the style of warfare favoured by the Chapter which deemphasizes the use of heavy armour in favour of light, fast-moving mechanised and airborne infantry formations. At the time of the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium, the White Scars did not make use of standard Astartes rank designations, or ordered companies, and instead differentiated their companies as "Brotherhoods", such as the "Brotherhood of the Hawk" or "Brotherhood of the Spear." However, those White Scars Space Marines who were Terran-born often had a tendency to utilise the more common standard company designations. For example, the 64th Company (made up of Terran White Scars Legionaries) was also known by its Chogoris designation -- the Brotherhood of the Moon. It is not known whether the White Scars still utilise these Chogoris designations for their companies in the late 41st Millennium, though they always now refer to their companies as Brotherhoods. The White Scars have a propensity to maintain a disproportionate number of Bike Squads and Land Speeder squadrons within their order of battle. This highly mobile lightning-attack fighting style means the White Scars do not make use of as many heavy weapons as other Chapters. For instance, the White Scars possess no Devastator Squads. Due to their reliance on fast-moving fire support, most of the tanks used by the Chapter have had their armour stripped down so that they are able to keep up with the majority of the fast-moving White Scars forces. Dreadnoughts are also not employed by the White Scars, as the cold, metal sarcophagi of these mighty cyborgs evokes a horror of eternal confinement and induces a feeling of extreme claustrophobia that is a result of the White Scars' cultural foundation as nomads who wander the open plains of Mundus Planus' steppelands. Specialist Ranks ]] seconded to the Deathwatch]] *'Great Khan' - The Great Khan is the title given to the Chapter Master of the White Scars. He is chosen from among the Khans of the Chapter's Brotherhoods by a secret process of physical, mental and spiritual trials overseen by the Chapter's Storm Seers. *'Khan' - A Khan is the officer who commands a White Scars Brotherhood, essentially the Chapter's version of a standard Space Marines company Captain. Like the Great Khan, the Chapter's Khans are chosen by its Storm Seers, who oversee a series of physical, mental and spiritual trials when a vacancy opens to determine which of the White Scars Battle-Brothers is worthy of being elevated to command the fellows of his Brotherhood. *'Master of the Hunt' - The Master of the Hunt is an honourific title unique to the White Scars Chapter. The current Master of the Hunt is Kor'sarro Khan, Captain of the White Scars' 3rd Brotherhood and the 51st individual to hold the title. The Master of the Hunt is charged with tracking down those rare enemies of the Chapter who have managed to evade destruction at the hands of the White Scars. No enemy is allowed to escape and live and so the Master of the Hunt is charged with hunting those foes and bringing their heads back to the White Scars lands on their homeworld of Chogoris. The High Chaplain then brands the eyes from the head and it is masked in silver and stuck on a spear along the road to the White Scars' fortress-monastery. The White Scars are patient and while some enemies may elude death for centuries they will all eventually be hunted down and their heads brought back to Chogoris. Kor'sarro Khan has already proven himself quite proficient and has tracked down such foes as the Daemon Prince Kernax Voldorius and the Eldar pirate lord Varaliel. The Master of the Hunt incorporates ancient but potent symbols of his office; Moondrakkan and Moonfang. Moondrakkan is a master-crafted Assault Bike originally commissioned by the 4th Master of the Hunt, and has been lovingly maintained down through the centuries. The other item granted to the Master of the Hunt by the Chapter is the ancient Power Sword called Moonfang. This relic of the White Scars Chapter is currently wielded by Kor'sarro Khan and has slayed the most terrible of foes no matter how mighty they may be. *'Keshig' - Primarch Jaghatai Khan's personal Honour Guard during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras was known as the Keshig, and was made up of the most veteran and skilled Astartes to be found in the V Legion who all served as Terminators. The Keshig was once described as "a whole phalanx of giants in bone-white Terminator plate." *'Stormseers' - The Zadyin Arga or "Stormseers" of the White Scars perform the same functions as other Chapters' cadre of Librarians, though the Stormseers emerge from the deeply-ingrained mystical traditions of the tribal shamans and holy men who rode the plains of Chogoris with their Primarch Jaghatai Khan before the coming of the Emperor to Mundus Planus. Since the time before their Chapter's inception, when they were the shamans who first named Jaghatai Khan the Great Khan of the nomadic tribes, the Storm Seers have been called upon to continue to induct Neophytes and newly elevated Khans of their Chapter. Every 10 summers, the Storm Seers venture down into the steppes to observe the tribes and their battles, picking only the best and bravest warriors and returning them to Quan Zhou to become Space Marines. When a Great Khan is lost on the field of battle, it is the Storm Seers who are called upon to decide who his successor will be to lead the Chapter. The Storm Seers will then retreat to the caves of the steep peaks of the Khum Katra Mountains of Mundus Planus. There, Brotherhood Khans present themselves to be tested and scrutinized by the Storm Seers. The process and trials used by the Storm Seers to test and approve who the next Great Khan will be is unknown. Few candidates survive the arduous process, and those that do to become the next Great Khan will never speak of the trials they endured. The other responsibilities of the Storm Seer include teaching Aspirants the core beliefs of their Chapter. They firmly believe it is the manifest duty of the White Scars to destroy the enemies of the Imperium, awaiting the day that that Emperor will rise again, signaling the return of their lost Primarch and the beginning of the next Great Crusade to unify all of humanity. The Storm Seers believe that their powers are connected to the animistic spirits of the land and the air, and that as long as these natural forces fight alongside them, the White Scars will always be victorious. These elemental, animistic beliefs and the highly stylized Force Staff used by Storm Seers tie these warrior-mystics to their shamanistic past on the steppes of Mundus Planus. *'Emchi' - The Emchi is the name given by the White Scars in the Chogorian dialect to their Chapter's Apoethecaries. Chapter Combat Doctrine Squad]] slay Traitor Marines during the retaking of the Lionsgate Spaceport in the Battle of Terra]] employs the lightning-attack]] The combat doctrines of the White Scars Chapter have been honed through over ten millennia of battle and bloodshed, but they still reflect those of the original Chogorian nomadic warrior-tribes. Though ferocious when on the attack, the White Scars are highly intelligent tacticians and masters of field-craft. Each Battle-Brother draws on their savagery not as a mindless berserker, but as a finely-crafted hunting spear delivered with the focussed precision of a master predator. They specialise in hitting their enemy with a peerless impact and frightening speed, but they are never reckless. Time spent on preparations are vital to their strategy, as they reconnoitre each target in depth and formulate detailed plans and contingencies, coordinating their strike to ensure that maximum damage is done. Such methods have seen the White Scars emerge victorious from many of the bloodiest battles in the Imperium's history, including the Siege of Terra itself. In their many millennia of service since, they have hunted the Emperor’s foes from one end of the galaxy to the other, meeting every threat with blades in their hands and battle cries on their lips, defeating rebellions and invasions unnumbered in the name of the Emperor and of the Great Khan. The method of war taught to the steppe tribes of Chogoris by Jaghatai Khan has served the White Scars well in the millennia that followed. Their modus operandi consists of lightning-fast hit-and-run attacks conducted by highly mobile forces, destroying the enemy piece by piece and never allowing the enemy to force a decisive or static engagement. Evoking the mounted warriors of their heritage, each Brotherhood maintains a high proportion of Assault Bikes, Attack Bikes and Land Speeders, and their infantry squads are almost always borne to battle by fast moving vehicles or gunships. Indeed, it is often said that the White Scars are born in the saddle and are not at ease unless fighting on, in or from an armoured mount of some kind. They also make use of Jump Pack-equipped Assault Squads to harass the enemy, and then hit the foe with a full assault when they are at their weakest and most frazzled. The Chapter's combat doctrine is to deliver their forces to the battlefield in a single swift blow; thus, when Drop Pods are employed, the entire force of the Chapter committed to the assault deploys in them in order to avoid the possibility of parts of the force arriving in reserve. Although preferring to keep the foe at arms-length, the White Scars are fully capable of engaging in bloody close assaults, and are rightly feared by the enemies of the Imperium. In contrast, few White Scars Space Marines have ever entered service as a Dreadnought, and only in the direst of circumstances. To the White Scars, the thought of spending an eternity sealed within the ceramite sarcophagus at the heart of a Dreadnought, of never again feeling the rush of the air whilst hurtling towards the foe with blade in hand, is a truly horrifying notion. Also, the majority of heavy weapons normally used by Space Marine forces such as the Heavy Bolter, Missile Launcher, Plasma Gun or Heavy Flamer are frowned upon by the Chapter, and any main battle tank that cannot keep up with the rest of the army is avoided in the order of battle. For instance, the White Scars have no Devastator Squads, and their few Predator tanks may not carry sponson weapons. The White Scars also almost never field any Dreadnoughts, not only because of the slowness of those cyborgs, but also because every White Scars Astartes does not want to be crippled to the point that they must be entombed in a Dreadnought's cybernetic sarcophagus. Far better to die and allow their spirits to pass into the afterlife where they may roam free. Overall, the White Scars are considered a powerful and effective Chapter when undertaking direct, rapid assaults or carrying out surgical strikes intended to achieve specific operational objectives. However, their lack of units with a great deal of staying power such as heavy weapons-equipped Tactical Marines, Devastator Marines, Dreadnoughts or the heavier Astartes main battle tanks means that their detachments are more fragile if not used at a tactically appropriate moment or if forced to face prolonged, static combat, particularly against well-defended enemy strongholds. The White Scars are not a Chapter that would fare well undertaking sieges, for example. Chapter Homeworld Mundus Planus, better known to its people as Chogoris, is a fertile Feudal World of the Imperium that still exists in a semi-feudal, preindustrial state. When Jaghatai Khan departed on the Great Crusade, the unified empire he had carved from the nomadic peoples of his world dissolved back into the feuding tribes of horsemen that had existed before his arrival. This was believed by some in the White Scars Legion to be the intention of the Primarch, as the restoration of conflict between the tribes ensured that his Legion would have a supply of highly-skilled Neophytes to draw from the warring tribes in the future. Within the heart of the Khum Karta mountain range, atop the highest, most inaccessible peak on all of Chogoris, sits the city-sized fortress-monastery of the White Scars, the ancient palace of Jaghatai Khan himself. The winding valley pass that leads to the fortress-monastery's great adamantium gates is lined with the severed heads of countless defeated foes, and the feasting halls within its marbled walls are heavily hung with a great wealth of trophies taken by the White Scars’ heroes from a thousand battlefields. Known in the Chogorian tongue as "Quan Zhou," it is the spiritual home of the White Scars Chapter, and it is truly a formidable and magnificent sight to behold. Like all fortress monasteries, Quan Zhou is armoured and void-shielded to withstand any siege or bombardment that might befall it. Armed to repel attackers from land, air or space, its walls bristle with enough heavy ordnance to flatten a hive city. Every aerial approach to the fortress-monastery is overlooked by Icarus Pattern Lascannons, and a Macro-laser known to the White Scars as Khan's Fury stands like a spear of vengeance to lance space-borne enemies from the heavens. The fortress-monastery’s Librarius is a lightning-wracked spire where the Chapter’s Librarians, often referred to as Stormseers, study their lore and chronicle the deeds of the Khans. They also preside over the Chapter's Astropaths as they relay psychic messages throughout the void, communing with the greater Imperium and those White Scars Brotherhoods hunting across the galaxy. Every ten local years, the Stormseers venture down into the steppes, observing the tribes at combat, and take the best of the young warriors to become Space Marine Aspirants. Chapter Beliefs The White Scars share the beliefs of their Primarch, venerating the Emperor as the Ultimate Uniter of Mankind, but not as a God and so they do not hold the Imperial Creed as their faith and have little regard for the Ecclesiarchy. It is the White Scars' belief that it is their duty to destroy the enemies of the Emperor in preparation for the day when he will rise from the Golden Throne to begin a new Great Crusade to unify the galaxy. On that day, Jaghatai Khan will return from the void to lead the Chapter once more. To the White Scars, the lightning bolt that serves as their Chapter badge is a potent and important symbol, representing both their style of warfare and echoing the warrior Honour Scars that they bear on their faces. It also represents the powers of the Storm Seers. The Chapter believes that as long as the elemental, animistic powers of air and land heed the call of the Storm Seers the White Scars will never falter on the field of battle. All White Scars bear the long, ritual facial scar that is called an Honour Scar and is the mark they receive when they are fully accepted into the Chapter as Neophytes. As noted above, the White Scars refuse to deploy Dreadnoughts within their ranks as the thought of being entombed within the mighty cybernetic construction is anathema to the White Scars' beliefs that when a warrior dies, his soul should be free to travel to the afterlife and not be confined where it cannot freely roam the plains of the netherworld. Scarification Practises Facial markings are widespread among the nomadic tribes of Mundus Planus, less so amongst the settled populations (the Khilan, Huanjan, etc.). It is said by some that the facial scars that give the White Scars their name are self-inflicted on initiation into the Chapter, a rite carried over from the days when the Talskar roamed the seas of grass on Chogoris. The Taliskar nation of nomads is given to extensive modifications, reflective of warrior prowess, achievement, and ritual events. The Taliskar pattern of scarification is now endemic to many of the plains nomad tribes of Chogoris and have been much emulated by other nations (especially the Haelun, Szechjiak, and High-Zuar) since the conquests of Jaghatai. Typical scarification patterns include those reminiscent of hunting fauna, in particular the native apex raptors (berkul). Permanent resin-based dyes have been added to prominent figures, producing hybrid scars and tattoo forms. Vivid results have been noted, yet their chemical composition is not yet fully understood by Imperial savants. A distinctive local variation of the left cheek zig-zag pattern has also been noted. This pattern of scars is made with ritual daggers under the supervision of the tribal zadyin arga (translated loosely in Low Gothic as "seer of storms"). Scars run from under the left eye socket to the chin. Ash is then used to raise tissue and whiten the residual ridge (hence the term "white scar"). Shortly after being reunited with their Primarch during the Great Crusade, the Terran-born members of the V Legion quickly adopted the customs of the Mundus Planus natives who joined the Legion, though their results proved less pronounced. This was because these scarification techniques were most efficacious on the young, prior to the implantation of the Space Marine Progenoid Glands and the development of the basic Astartes bias towards rapid dermatological regeneration. Notable White Scars *'Jaghatai Khan' - Primarch of the White Scars. Jaghatai fought alongside his sons of the White Scars for another 70 standard years following the end of the Horus Heresy, eventually disappearing into a region of space known as the Maelstrom, a large Warp rift in the Ultima Segmentum that is a somewhat smaller counterpart of the Eye of Terror. Jaghatai is believed to have been in pursuit of the Dark Eldar who had savaged Mundus Planus following the Battle of Corusil V with his 1st Brotherhood when he went through a Warp Gate into the Dark Eldar portion of the Webway, ultimately vanishing forever. Jaghatai had been in pursuit of a mighty Dark Eldar lord, likely the Archon of the Kabal that had attacked Corusil V and perhaps even Mundus Planus itself. Jaghatai Khan has not been seen since, though the White Scars believe he is still alive somewhere within the Webway and will one day return to the Chapter in a time of great need. As a result of their Primarch's disappearance, the White Scars hold a particularly savage grudge against the Dark Eldar and will gladly seek out any opportunity to make war upon those savage and terrifying xenos. *'Jubal (Great Khan)' - Jubal Khan is the current Great Khan of the White Scars Chapter following the disappearance of Kyublai in 943.M41. *'Kyublai (Great Khan)' - Great Khan Kyublai, Jubal's predecessor, vanished while fighting against the Eldar xenos in 943.M41. *'Drago Khan' - Drago Khan is a captain of the White Scars, though his Brotherhood command is unknown. *'Jurga Khan' - Khan of the Brotherhood that participated in the liberation of the world of Tephra VII. *'Khajog Khan' - Khan of the Brotherhood dispatched to Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade. Khajog proved such a pesky and dangerous opponent that Abaddon the Despoiler was forced to dispatch a significant number of his best troops to deal with the White Scars and though Khajog and his men were eventually cornered and slaughtered, they undoubtedly bought the Cadians time and kept the forces of the Black Legion quite busy hunting them down before they were finally defeated. Nevertheless the Storm Seers say that Khajog's spirit still wanders the wastes of Cadia, unable to join the Emperor's side in the afterlife until his death is avenged. *'Kor'sarro Khan' - Khan of the 3rd Brotherhood and the current Master of the Hunt for the Chapter. Kor'sarro's first hunt was completed on the 3rd moon of the gas giant Mai IX. The Khan of the 3rd Brotherhood has faced many daunting foes and great challenges including facing an Alpha Level psyker on Delta Arbuthnot where the the entire planet's population of Ratling agri-serfs was mind-controlled and forced to raise arms against the Imperial landowners, using shovels against guards with autoguns. Another such battle was for the 3rd Moon of Woebetide where, as a Scout Marine many decades previously, Kor'sarro fought the Warp entities called Enslavers. Ten thousand mind-controlled Cadians were psychically forced to march across a minefield 100 kilometres wide under fire from the White Scars, Red Hunters and Celestial Lions Chapters. Kor'Sarro Khan was responsible for successfully bringing the Hunt for Voldorius to its conclusion. *'Jamuka Khan' - Jamuka Khan was the predecessor and mentor of Kor'sarro Khan as the Khan of the 3rd Brotherhood and the skull of a vicious tusk drake that currently adorns the marble throne of Kor'sarro Khan was slain by his mentor Jamuka. *'Subodai Khan' - Killed during the battle to retake Rynn's World from the Orks of WAAAGH! Snagrod. *'Suboden Khan' - The Khan of the Tulwar Brotherhood who fought to defend the water purification at St. Capilene and the Phaedra River. *'Jubal Khan' - Captain of the 1st Company of the 1st Chapter of the White Scars Legion during the Horus Heresy. *'Shang Khan' - Khan of the White Scars 7th Chapter during the latter days of the Great Crusade. Shang Khan transferred stewardship of Sarosh to the Dark Angels Legion shortly before the onset of the Horus Heresy. *'Hibou Khan' - Hibou Khan was a member of a White Scars Kill-team sent to kill high-ranking members of the Sons of Horus on the planet Dwell during the Horus Heresy. *'Shiban Khan' - A Chogoris-borne Khan (Captain) of the Brotherhood of the Storm company during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras. *'Torghun Khan' - A Terran-born Khan (Captain) of the Brotherhood of the Moon company during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras. *'Qan'karro ' - A Storm Seer and the senior psychic adept attached to Kor'sarro Khan's task force during the Hunt for Voldorius, Qan'karro is a renowned Veteran of the Chapter as well as a close adviser to the Master of the Hunt. *'Targutai Yesugei' - Chief of the White Scars Stormseers (Zadyin Arga) during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras. Yesugei was a junior Stormseer of the White Scars Legion when he presented the Council of Nikaea a third option in regards to the use of psychic abilities and the maintenance or abolition of the established Legions' Libraria. He explained that there was nothing inherently evil about a Librarian. If such a gifted individual was properly trained in order to obtain the greatest results, like any weapon, he could be still be used, but with respect and not indiscriminately. Yesugei argued that human psykers should be trained rigorously to take advantage of their innate abilities in order to assist the Imperium in completing its galaxy-wide spanning conquest. With such an elite cadre of trained psychic specialists utterly loyal to the Emperor, the galaxy could be brought back into the Imperial fold with ease. Yesugei also argued that psychic sorcery should be strictly forbidden, since in dealing with the entities of the Warp, the ever-present risk of corruption was simply too great to be avoided. This position would later be vindicated in the wake of the Horus Heresy and would become the default policy of the Imperium towards psykers during the Age of the Imperium. *'Xia'ghan ' - Senior Chaplain attached to the 3rd Brotherhood during the Hunt for Voldorius. *'Subedei - 'Chaplain Subedei fought in the Tempestora Warzone during the Third War for Armageddon. *'Goju '- Goju is a Techmarine attached to the Brotherhood of Jurga Khan. *'Sarik' - Sarik is a Veteran Sergeant and the Force Commander of the White Scars detachment that served in the Damocles Gulf Crusade and the second-in-command of that Crusade's Astartes forces. *'Sar Af' - White Scars Battle-Brother attached to the Imperial Guard regiment known as the Tanith First and Only during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, along with two other Astartes from the Iron Snakes and Silver Guard, during the Imperial raid on Salvation's Reach. *'Balat' - Balat is a venerable Scout Sergeant of the White Scars with over four centuries of service to the Chapter and the commander of a Scout Biker Squadron on Tephra VII. *'Ultas Kholka' - A highly skilled veteran warrior, Scout Sergeant Kholka was one of the Chapter's best. A veteran of the Celebrated "422" Patrol, Kholka even survived stalking the extremely deadly Tyranid Lictors over the cobalt reefs of Ayria-12-Tsunami and survived extended operations on the Death World of Canak. Brother Kholka sacrificed himself to give Kor'sarro Khan the opening to face and defeat the dreaded Daemon Prince Voldorius, using a Flamer to destroy the last of the Blood Tide nanytes, engulfing himself in the process. *'Jubal Khan' - Jubal Khan was the First Captain of the V Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras. He stood by his Primarch Jaghatai in the stalwart defense of the Imperial Palace during the Battle of Terra. Chapter Relics *'Chieftain Trophy Rack' - Like the great khans of Chogoris of old, the White Scars of the Achilus Crusade took to wearing trophy racks to display their triumphs and prowess in battle. Like the more common back banners used by Astartes commanders, a trophy rack identifies a Battle-Brother as a leader and Captain of the Chapter. *'Dueling Tulwar' - Reputed to have its origins from the mountain tribes of Chogoris, the Dueling Tulwar is a White Scars ritual weapon. Its short, curved blade makes it ideal for quick, short cuts, allowing the wielder greater speed in combat, switching between defensive and offensive stances with a flick of his wrist. )]] *''Guan Dao'' (Power Lance) '- A signature weapon of the White Scars, the ''Guan Dao is a Chogorian glaive, a Power Lance. Considered blessed weapons, Guan Dao possess a two-metre long metal shaft with a single-edged, curved blade which is primarily used by White Scars Astartes to extend their reach or to increase angular momentum, and thus striking power, when the weapon is swung. This makes the Guan Do ideal for charging from the back of vehicles or striking at foes while beyond the reach of their weapons. When used in close combat on foot, its purpose is more to disarm an opponent and deflect their strikes. *Moondrakkan' - The Assault Bike ''Moondrakkan was originally commissioned for the Chapter's 4th Master of the Hunt. This ancient Astartes bike is a relic of the White Scars Chapter and has served as a versatile mechanical steed for numerous Masters of the Hunt over many millennia. Fitted with powerful engines, bulletproof tires and a formidable armament, Moondrakkan has been lovingly maintained by the Chapter's Techmarines and has served the Masters of the Hunt well in their never-ending quests to chase down their quarry in the midst of a hunt. *''Moonfang'' - This is an ancient Power Sword and revered relic of the White Scars Chapter. This formidable blade has spilled much blood and the ichor of numerous Apostates, Heretics and xenos since its forging. Currently, Kor'sarro Khan wields Moonfang. *''Totem of Subetai'' - The Stormseers are the Librarians of the White Scars -- powerful figures within the Chapter who advise its commanders and keep its lore. Across the Jericho Reach, many Stormseers are held in veneration for their heroic acts and the vaults of Watch Fortress Erioch are filled with artefacts from countless Stormseers that have served the Deathwatch in aeons past. One such artefact is the Totem of Subetai -- a long staff adorned with a beast skull and a knot of course hair. No records still remain of Subetai or his accomplishments, but his staff has served other Stormseers through the millennia. The staff helps Stormseers in focusing their powers, channelling ancient spirits and casting their auguries for the great Khans. Chapter Appearance helmets with Chogorian tribal markings]] Chapter Colours The White Scars' Power Armour is predominantly white, with red trim. This has only varied slightly since the Pre-Heresy days of the V Legion. Apothecaries of the White Scars have their entire armour painted red save for the backpack, right shoulder and the helmet which are all white and have a red vertical stripe painted down the centre of the helmet. The red-coloured squad specialty symbol (Tactical, Assault, Devastator, or Veteran) is indicated on the right shoulder guard while the Chapter iconography is painted on the left shoulder guard. Squad markings are displayed on the left knee plate. Sergeants also bear the company markings upon their armour's right greave. White Scars Bikers' helmets usually display Chogorian tribal markings. Chapter Badge The White Scars' Chapter badge is a stylized red thunderbolt with a horizontal yellow bar behind it, exemplifying their style of combat and echoing the facial Honour Scars all members of this Chapter bear. Members of the White Scars' Scout Marines Brotherhood are permitted to wear the thunderbolt on their shoulder plates, but an obscure piece of Chapter law states they may not have the horizontal bar, an honour only given to full Initiates. Chapter Fleet The White Scars are known to have possessed the following vessels within their Legion fleet during the great Crusade and the Horus Heresy and as part of their Chapter fleet after the Second Founding: *''Swordstorm'' (Gloriana-class Battleship) - Flagship of the White Scars during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy era. *''Constantius'' (Battle Barge) '''- Flagship of the White Scars Chapter fleet. *Silent Horseman' '(Battle Barge)' - Renamed from the ''Plainsmaster to honour the stealth running techniques developed by the Chapter during the Third War for Armageddon. *''Jaghatai's Pride'' (Battle Barge) - In 890.M41, a Necron ''Cairn''-class Tombship entered orbit over Chogoris and began the focussed bombardment of an unpopulated area on the planet's surface. The Battle Barge Jaghatai's Pride pierced the xenos ship's shields even as the White Scars' fortress-monastery fired its massive Defence Laser, the Khan's Fury, destroying the Tombship in a single Lance strike. *''Lord of Heavens'' (Strike Cruiser) - Warship of Kor'sarro Khan's 3rd Brotherhood during the Hunt for Voldorius. *''Swift Horseman'' (Strike Cruiser) - Originally part of the White Scars Legion's 4th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade, was later replaced by a Dark Angels fleet as the Swift Horseman was needed elsewhere. *''Warrior of the Plains'' (Strike Cruiser) - Strike Cruiser of Jurga Khan's Brotherhood. *''Nomad'' (Frigate) - A small ship but a crafty and daring one, Sergeant Sarik commanded the Nomad with great success during the Damocles Gulf Crusade. Inspiration The White Scars' tactics and history are inspired by the real-life military tactics used by the Mongols during the creation of their continent-spanning medieval empire in the 13th Century AD and by the organisation and order of battle used by the Mongol army. Jaghatai Khan is inspired by the actual historical character of Genghis Khan (Temüjin) and some Turkic-Hunnic legends. The name Jaghatai means "white one" and "energetic one" in Mongolian and Turkish, and this name is still popular in Turkic-speaking countries in Central Asia. Rather than the Western portrayal of the Mongol Great Khan as a bloodthirsty conqueror, Jaghatai is more in line with how Genghis is still seen in his homeland of Mongolia—a benevolent leader and masterful tactician. Sources *''Codex: Armageddon'' (3rd Edition), p. 32 *''Codex: Blood Angels'' (5th Edition), p. 15 *''Codex: Necrons'' (5th Edition), p. 25 *''Codex: Chaos Space Marines'' (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), p. 7 *''Codex: Space Marines'' (5th Edition), pp. 8, 28, 30, 42-43, 47, 49, 94 *''Codex: Space Marines'' (4th Edition) *''Codex: Space Marines'' (3rd Edition) * Epic Armageddon Resources, "Epic White Scars", Games Workshop Website *''Flames of Damnation'' (Comic Anthology), "The Pilgrim" by James Peaty & artwork by Shaun Thomas *''Fulgrim'' (Novel) by Graham McNeill *''Horus Heresy Collected Visions'' (Artbook Series), pp. 344-345 *''Hunt for Voldorius'' (Novel) by Andy Hoare *''Imperial Armour Volume Two - Forces of the Inquisition & the Space Marines'' *''Imperial Armour Volume Nine - The Badab War - Part One'', pp. 17, 108 *''Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two'', p. 64 *''Index Astartes'' I, "Lightning Attack - The White Scars Space Marines Chapter," pp. 40-47 *''Let the Galaxy Burn'' (Compilation), "Into the Maelstrom" by Chris Pramas *''Rogue Trader Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook'' (1st Edition),'' pp. 156, 168 *''The Sabbat Worlds Crusade (Background Book) *''Warhammer 40,000 Compendium'' (1st Edition), pp. 31, 79 *''White Dwarf'' 312 (US), "Silent Menace: Space Marine Scouts" *''White Dwarf'' 311 (US), "Index Astartes: Silent Menace" & "Behind Enemy Lines", pp. 84-88 *''White Dwarf'' 300 (US), "Legends of the Space Marines", p. 118 *''White Dwarf'' 286 (US), "The Eye of the Storm: Space Marine Chapters fighting in the Eye of Terror" *''White Dwarf'' 283 (US), "Eye of Terror Campaign" *''White Dwarf'' 257 (UK), "Index Astartes I: Index Astartes - Lightning Attack - The White Scars Space Marine Chapter" *''White Dwarf'' 256 (US), "Index Astartes I: Index Astartes - Lightning Attack - The White Scars Space Marine Chapter" *''White Dwarf'' 251 (US), "The Final Days of Armageddon", pp. 6-27 *''White Dwarf'' 249 (US), "Emperor's Shield: Space Marine Chapters of the Armageddon War" *''White Dwarf'' 248 (US), "The Third War for Armageddon" *''White Dwarf'' 93 (UK), "Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Edition Preview", pp. 33-44 *''Age of Darkness'' (Anthology) edited by Christian Dunn, "Little Horus" by Dan Abnett *''Brotherhood of the Storm'' (Audio Drama) by Chris Wraight *''Descent of Angels'' (Novel) by Mitchel Scanlon *''Scars'' (Novel) by Chris Wraight *''Legends of the Space Marines'' (Anthology), "Cover of Darkness" by Mitchel Scanlon p. 77 *''Rogue Star'' (Rogue Trader Novel Series) by Andy Hoare * Salvation's Reach (Novel) by Dan Abnett *''Savage Scars'' (Novel) by Andy Hoare *''Star of Damocles'' (Rogue Trader Novel Series) by Andy Hoare *''The Saint'' (Omnibus) by Dan Abnett *''Warriors of Ultramar'' (Ultramarines Novel Series) by Graham McNeill Gallery File:WS_Shield_Livery.png|The White Scars Chapter Badge inscribed on a gardbrace File:White Scars Symbol.jpg|Chapter Badge of the White Scars White_Scars.jpg|Colour Schemes and Wargear of the White Scars File:WS_Dev_Marine.png|Brother-Sergeatn Korghal of the White Scars' 3rd Brotherhood, 9th Devastator Squad File:Mk_XIV_'Bullock'_Pattern_Jetbike.jpg|An ancient Mark XIV Bullock Pattern Imperial Jetbike used by the White Scars Legion File:WS_Forge_Father.png|White Scars Techmarine Close Up of White Scar Marine.jpg|A White Scars Battle-Brother Cpt. Bataar_beckjann-d41uvkv.jpg|A White Scars Veteran Astartes Son_of_the_Emperor_by_Anagorrax.jpg|White Scars Battle-Brother wearing Mark IV Power Armour WS Astartes joins Deathwatch.jpg|White Scars Veteran Battle-Brother, newly sequestered to the Long Vigil of the Deathwatch Hunt For Voldorius-artwork.jpg|Astartes of the White Scars and the Raven Guard hunt the vile Daemon Prince Voldorius during the famed Hunt for Voldorius File:WS_Bike_Scout.jpg|White Scars Scout Marine on Attack Bike File:WS_Drop_Pod.png|White Scars Drop Pod File:WS_Land_Speeder_Tempest.jpg|White Scars Land Speeder Tempest File:WS_Rhino.png|White Scars Rhino armoured personnel carrier File:WS_Razorback.png|White Scars Razorback Category:W Category:First Founding Category:Imperium Category:Sabbat Worlds Crusade Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:White Scars